MIAMI — (Mealey’s) The attorney for the widow of a man who died of lung cancer after smoking for more than 45 years told a jury in the Florida 11th Judicial Court on Oct. 31 that his client’s husband “needed to smoke” because he was addicted to nicotine ( Diane Schleider...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A jury in Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Court for Duval County on Nov. 24 awarded a total of $3,094,000 to the family of a woman who alleged that her death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was caused by her 35 years of smoking ( Andy...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) The “lies and deceit” of the tobacco industry caused longtime smoker Edward Caprio to become addicted to cigarettes that led to his lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Caprio’s attorney told a Florida state court...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court judge accepted a partial jury verdict in a suit against four tobacco companies Feb. 24 amid calls for a mistrial from the defendants after the jury reported that it could not reach agreement on all questions on the verdict form ( Edward...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way March 9 in the Florida 17th Judicial Court for Broward County with opening statements in a suit alleging that the death of a lung cancer sufferer was caused by his years of smoking ( Rose Pollari, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.,...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A plaintiff seeking to assert a fraudulent concealment claim in an Engle progeny suit is not required to prove reliance on statements made by the defendant tobacco company within the 12-year statute of repose period leading up to the May 5, 1994, filing of the...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Opening statements got under way April 10 — for the second time in less than two weeks — in an Engle progeny suit in which a mistrial was declared just two hours after the Florida Supreme Court handed down two rulings on the standard of proof...

MIAMI — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way in the Florida 11th Judicial Circuit Court with opening statements April 10 in a suit that was the subject of a Florida Supreme Court ruling eight days earlier resolving a conflict among the state appellate courts on the standard of proof for claims...

BRADENTON, Fla. — Trial got under way in Florida state court April 29 with opening statements in a suit alleging that the death of a smoker of coronary artery disease at age 45 was the result of his years of smoking ( Madonna Dupre, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al. , No. 2011CA005529...

PENSACOLA, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury returned a defense verdict May 21 in a suit alleging that the death of a former smoker from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease was caused by his years of smoking ( Ethel...

MIAMI — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way in state court on June 4 in a suit alleging that a Florida man’s death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was caused by his addiction to cigarettes ( Joyce Hardin, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., et al. , No. 07-46973-CA-22...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (Mealey’s) The U.S. Supreme Court on June 8 declined to review a ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals rejecting the claims of more than 1,000 state residents against the tobacco industry ( Ronald Accord, et al. v. Philip Morris USA Inc., et al. , No. 14...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way in Florida state court on June 23 with opening statements in a suit alleging that a woman’s death from lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases was caused by her addiction to cigarettes ( John McCoy, et al. v. R.J. Reynolds...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury on July 17 awarded $9 million in punitive damages — $3 million each against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. — to the widower of a woman who died of lung cancer after years...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) Trial got under way with opening statements on July 22 in a suit alleging that a woman’s death from lung cancer was caused by her 52 years of smoking cigarettes manufactured by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. ( Lillian Kaplan v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Mealey’s) A Florida state court jury on Aug. 3 awarded $3.2 million in punitive damages to a woman who alleged that her years of smoking caused her to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that resulted in two lung transplants ( Elaine Jordan v. Philip...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (Mealey’s) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Sept. 15 that it has issued orders halting the further sale and distribution of four currently marketed R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. cigarette products, including its Camel Crush Bold brand, for failure to comply with...